"There is one, and only one, man who can list NFL Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year awards on his resume, and he has a corner office at Redskins Park. It was dim inside that space in the afternoon two days before Christmas Eve. Jim Haslett, the Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator, closed the blinds and continued to dissect game film of Christian Ponder, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback Haslett's group would knock out of the game 48 hours later.

On the other side of the building, in the spacious office with a balcony that overlooks the practice fields, coach Mike Shanahan went through his end-of-the-week routine. Radio and television interviews stood between him and the sliver of personal time coaches are afforded weekly during the season."